From Liberation to Conquest

The Visual and Popular Cultures of the Spanish-American War of 1898

Bonnie Miller

Publication Year: 2011

The American people overwhelmingly supported the nation’s entry into the Spanish-American War of 1898, which led to U.S. imperial expansion into the Caribbean and Pacific. In this book, Bonnie M. Miller explores the basis of that support, showing
how the nation’s leading media makers—editorialists, cartoonists, filmmakers, photographers, and stage performers—captured the public’s interest in the
Cuban crisis with heart-rending depictions of Cuban civilians, particularly women, brutalized
by bloodthirsty Spanish pirates. Although media campaigns initially advocated for the United States to step in to rescue Cuba from the horrors of colonial oppression, the war ended just months later with the U.S. acquisition of Spain’s remaining empire, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. President William McKinley heeded the call for war, with the American people behind him, and then proceeded to use the conflict to further his foreign policy agenda of expanding U.S. interests in the Caribbean and Far East.
Miller examines the shifting media portrayals of U.S. actions for the duration of the conflict, from liberation to conquest. She shows how the media capitalized on the public’s thirst for drama, action, and spectacle and adapted to emerging imperial possibilities. Growing resistance to American imperialism by the war’s end unraveled the consensus in support of U.S policy abroad and produced a rich debate that found expression in American visual and popular culture.

Dedication Page����������������������

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

It is with great pleasure that I express my gratitude to those who have
helped make this undertaking possible. My interest in the Spanish-
American War dates back to my undergraduate studies at the University
of Delaware, where I was privileged to work with Jesus Cruz...

Introduction

In a cartoon titled “One Type of Patriot” published in October 1898,
the Chicago Inter Ocean commented on the effects of media during
the Spanish-American War in mobilizing Americans into political
action (figure i.1). The first frame depicts a prototypical white male...

1: The Spectacle of Endangered Bodies: The Visual Iconography of War

Prior to the U.S. declaration of war against Spain, American editors,
journalists, cartoonists, writers, and playwrights framed the Cuban
crisis almost entirely from a Cuban nationalist perspective. This is not
surprising given Spanish governor-general Weyler’s combative...

2: The Spectacle of Disaster: The Explosion of the U.S.S. Maine

Press campaigns to raise awareness of Cuba’s humanitarian crisis
had been growing steadily since 1895, but the single incident that
irrevocably focused media attention on Cuba occurred at precisely
9:40 p.m. on the evening of February 15, 1898, when the...

3: Socializing the Politics of Militarism: The Spanish-American War in Popular Culture

After the declaration of war, President McKinley called for 125,000
volunteers to supplement regular army units. The response was
staggering. The Maine disaster and the humanitarian crisis in Cuba
inspired thousands of young men across the nation to enlist...

4: The Visual Script Changes: The Annexation of Hawaii and the Lure of Empire

Upon the opening of hostilities, Blackton and Smith of Vitagraph
produced America’s first war motion picture—“Tearing Down the
Spanish Flag” (1898). When Blackton’s hand was seen tearing down
the Spanish flag and hoisting the American flag in its place...

5: The War’s Final Phase: The Shadow of Military Scandal on Glorified Victory

Probably the most illustrious reporter to cover the Cuban rebellion
was New York World correspondent Sylvester Scovel. Richard
Harding Davis wrote of him, “A more manly, daring and able young
man I have seldom...

6: Building an Imperial Iconography: Race, Paternalism, and the Symbols of Empire

In March 1899 a group of New York society women organized a
“mid-Lent entertainment” that they called “Uncle Sam’s Annexation
Party.” They asked guests to come to the party in costume as American
colonial subjects. Those arriving as Filipinos wore rings in their noses...

7: The Spectacular Wrap-Up in Three Postwar Moments

After Filipino nationalist leader Emilio Aguinaldo was captured
in 1901, the U.S. military held him prisoner in Manila. In 1902
American photographer William Dinwiddie for the New York World
visited him during his captivity and was struck by the...

Welcome to Project MUSE

Use the simple Search box at the top of the page or the Advanced Search linked from the top of the page to find book and journal content. Refine results with the filtering options on the left side of the Advanced Search page or on your search results page. Click the Browse box to see a selection of books and journals by: Research Area, Titles A-Z, Publisher, Books only, or Journals only.